SXSW Women Directors: Meet Liz Tuccillo

SXSW Women Directors: Meet Liz Tuccillo

You may not have heard of Liz Tuccillo, but you’ve definitely heard of her work. Tuccillo’s first credited script was “The Post-It Always Sticks Twice” episode of Sex and the City, a one-time gig she parlayed into co-authoring the Carrie Bradshaw-inspired He’s Just Not That Into You. Tuccillo followed up on the blockbuster sales of that self-help book with her first novel, How to Be Single. In her directorial debut, the writer-turned-filmmaker explores yet another facet of dating in Take Care, which focuses on the post-breakup relationship a women has with her ex.

Take Care will debut at SXSW on March 7.

Please give us your description of the film.

Take Care is about a woman (Leslie Bibb) who comes home from the hospital after getting hit by a car and realizes no one wants to take care of her. She enlists the help of someone from her past, played by Thomas Sadoski.

What made you write this story?

I have always been interested in how strange it is, when you date someone and break up, and then you both move on and continue your lives. What do you owe them, if anything, for that time intimate time spent together? What does that time mean, if anything?

What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

The small budget, which directly resulted in the short shooting schedule. And then the airplane traffic over us. Who knew so many planes take off overhead in Harlem?

What advice do you have for other female directors?

I don’t think I have advice for female directors as opposed to male directors. I think all first-time directors should try and be as prepared as they possibly can, because it’s hard!

What’s the biggest misconception about you and your work?

I should be so lucky for enough people to know my work to have misconceptions about it! But, if pressed, I would say that it might seem like all I think about is relationship/man/woman things, which is not the case — I have a lot of other interests!

Do you have any thoughts on what are the biggest challenges and/or opportunities for the future with the changing distribution mechanisms for films?

I think that is built in to the question — I think the amazing new opportunities for films will also be the challenge. There are more and more great new films (and TV shows and webisodes) made every year now. And even though there are more places to watch them, which is wonderful, the concern is that there might just be a glut on all this entertainment being made. Are there enough people to watch all this? And will we all start cancelling each other out?

Name your favorite women directed film and why.

I love Nicole Holofcener and Lynn Shelton. Both for the same reasons: their films are funny without being forced, intimate and real while also being hugely entertaining.